FORT WADSWORTH — Drivers who already balk at the $15 cost to cross the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge might be in for a shock.
The toll is expected to rise another 4 percent in 2017 — lower than the previous 7.5 percent bump — according to a preliminary 2015 budget drawn up by the MTA, the Staten Island Advance reported.
The MTA last raised the toll from $13 to $15 cash and $9.60 to $10.66 for drivers with an E-ZPass in 2013. Many politicians and residents complained about the hike and civic groups rallied near the bridge to call on the MTA to cut the price of crossing the borough's only physical link to the rest of the city.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo put out a relief plan, implemented in April, to cut the price for Staten Island drivers and local businesses who cross the bridge. Residents now pay $5.50 with an E-ZPass while the toll for commercial vehicles was slashed 20 percent, with the price depending on the number of axles.